Impeller pump



G. A. GERARD IMPELLER PUMP Oct. 2, 1962 Filed Jan. 26, 1960 IN VENTOR. 650:?65 4 GEE WARD ATTO/P/VI') Patented Oct. 2, 1962 @fdce 3,056,354 HVLPELLER PUMP George A. Gerard, West Point Pleasant, NJ. (1014 Oak St., Roselle, NJ.) Filed Jan. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 4,753 7 Claims. (Cl. 103-87) The present invention relates to an impeller pump and it particularly relates to an impeller pump for hot oil or hot fluid heating systems.

The present invention will be particularly described in its application to an impeller pump arrangement in which there is a motor drive and in which it is desired to insulate the hot pump structure from the electric motor.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a novelhot oil impeller unit with an electric motor drive in which the hot oil pumping mechanism will be insulated from the motor and at the same time there will be a direct driving connection between the motor and the impeller of the pump.

Another object is to provide a small compact hot oil circulating system in which the impeller pump for circulating the hot oil will be directly driven by an electric motor, at the same time the heat being communicated from the impeller to the motor.

Still further objects and advanatges will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects it has been found most satsifactory, according to one embodiment of the present invention, to provide a motor housing which is separated by an elongated frame structure from the impeller housing.

This frame structure will carry the impeller housing at one end, preferably the upper end at the other end, preferably the lower end with an intermediate fan and flexible metal tube arrangement which will assure radiation and dispersion of any heat before it is transmitted to the motor.

This type of arrangement is particularly desirable where the hot oil may be circulated at a temperature of 400 F. or higher to a radiator or heating system, while the motor should be maintained at a temperature substantially below 400.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modi fications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the combined motor drive and impeller pump, together with the intermediate separating structure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view, partly in section, of the connecting structure.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown a drive motor A, an impeller pump B, and an intermediate connecting structure C.

The intermediate connecting structure C is provided with the fan member D and the corrugated radiating tube E.

The motor A has an upper projecting member 10 which is mounted in the recess 11 at the base 12 of the frame structure C.

This frame structure C carries four T cross-section upright members 13, which extend up to the top structural member 14, upon the upper portion 15 of which is mounted the base 16 of the impeller pump B.

The impeller pump B has a central inlet connection 17 for hot oil, having a temperature above or about 400 F. The outlet of the pump is at the periphery, as indicated at 18, and the hot oil will be forced through a radiator or heating system.

The structure C, with the base 12, the crown 14 and the connecting T cross-section legs 13, may be formed of a bronze casting, and it may be either one piece or separate pieces, with the base 12 and the crown 14 bolted to the vertical members 13.

The pump body has an upwardly extending slide coupling member diagrammatically indicated at 19.

On the coupling member 19 fits the downwardly projecting tubular portion 20, which is fixed in position by means of the set screw 21. This tubular portion 20 has an upper enlarged portion 22, which has a set screw connection at 23 to the through rod 24.

The through rod 24 may consist of a drill rod which extends the height of the housing into the impeller pump B. There is a space at 25 above the coupling 19 and below the rod 24 acting as an insulator.

Above the enlargement 22 and in the recess 26 of the brass ring member 27 will be positioned the annular non-metallic seal member 28.

The enlarged portion 22 is also provided with slots 30, which carry the fan blades 30, which extend upwardly past the collar member 27. The oilite bushing 29 is positioned inside of the upper portion of the member 27 and acts as a lower bearing for the rod 24.

The rod 24 is enclosed from the member 27 to the disk 30 by means of the flexible sinuous tube E, which is soldered in position at its lower end at 31 and at its upper end at 32. The brass plate 30 may be held in position by means of the bolts or screws 33 on the lower part 34 of the crown 14.

The crown 14 also has a central opening which receives the bronze bushing 35 which acts as upper bearing for the rod 24.

The air may freely flow around the sinuous flexible sleeve E and conduct heat away from the rod 24 with the aid of the fan blades 30. These openings between the bars 13, together with the fan blades D and the tube B, will radiate the heat away before it is conducted down to the electric motor.

The corrugated copper shell of the tube E has a high radiating rate and its flexibility will also take up any vibration.

The fan blades will turn around the thimble member 27, which is carried by the flexible tube E and the rod 24, the fan blades 30 and the members 20-22 will rotate While the the thimble 27 and the tube E are stationary.

The applicant thus has provided an insulated drive motor construction which is particularly effective for impeller pumps distributing oil in hot liquid systems.

As many changes could be made in the above impeller pump, and many widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departure from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. An electric motor drive arrangement for a hot oil impeller pump of the type having a lower motor and an upper rotary pump spaced above said motor, each having a vertical shaft and the vertical axes of said shafts coinciding, a motor housing and an impeller pump housing, said arrangement including a separating connecting frame arrangement, a split shaft extending through said frame arrangement, a fan mounted to turn with said shaft and a flexible tubular enclosure encircling said shaft and carrying a bearing for said shaft, said tubular member being fixedly mounted at its upper end adjacent the irnpeller pump and being suspended at its lower bearing end adjacent the motor housing and closely embracing the shaft without contact with said shaft and being formed of a flexible corrugated copper shell of sinuous cross section and said fan including an elongated blade extending along the side of and parallel to the outer surface of the tubular enclosure and having a bearing below the end of the tubular enclosure adjacent to the motor housing.

2. An electric motor drive arrangement for a hot oil impeller pump of the type having a lower motor and an upper rotary pump spaced above said motor, each having a vertical shaft and the vertical axes of said shafts coinciding, a motor housing and an impeller pump housing, said arrangement including a separating connecting frame arrangement, a split shaft extending through said frame arrangement, a fan structure including a fan mounted to turn with said shaft and a flexible tubular enclosure encircling said shaft and carrying a bearing for said shaft, said split shaft consisting of a lower stud member extending into the frame arrangement from the motor and elongated impeller drive rod connected to said stud by a fan structure, said tubular member being fixedly mounted at its upper end adjacent the impeller pump and being suspended at its lower bearing end adjacent the motor housing and closely embracing the shaft without contact with said shaft and being formed of a flexible corrugated copper shell of sinuous cross section and said fan including an elongated blade extending along the side of and parallel to the outer surface of the tubular enclosure and having a bearing below the end of the tubular enclosure adjacent to the motor housing.

3. An electric motor drive arrangement for a hot oil impeller pump of the type having a lower motor and an upper rotary pump spaced above said motor, each having a vertical shaft and the vertical axes of said shafts coinciding, a motor housing and an impeller pump housing, said arrangement including a separating connecting frame arrangement, a split shaft extending through said frame arrangement, a fan mounted to turn with said shaft and a flexible tubular enclosure encirculing said shaft and carrying a bearing for said shaft, said tubular enclosure extending substantially the major portion of the length of said frame and carrying a bearing at its end for said shaft, said tubular member being fixedly mounted at its upper end adjacent the impeller pump and being suspended at its lower bearing end adjacent the motor housing and closely embracing the shaft without contact with said shaft and being formed of a flexible corrugated copper shell of sinuous cross section and said fan including an elongated blade extending along the side of and parallel to the outer surface of the tubular enclosure and having a bearing below the end of the tubular enclosure adjacent to the motor housing.

4. A separated insulated electric motor drive for a hot oil impeller in a 400 F. hot oil circulating system having a top end impeller and a bottom end electric motor and an intervening elongated vertical metal structure having a top end base for mounting the impeller, a bottom end base for mounting the motor and separated spaced parallel elongated connected legs integral with and located at the peripheries of the end bases and extending therebetween, a vetrical shaft for driving the impeller having a bearing in the top base and extending to and having a lower open cup at the bottom base, an upward motor shaft extension partly extending into the cup leaving an air space and a sinuous wave corrugated thin flexible sheet copper tubular enclosure closely fitting around the shaft extending from the upper base to adjacent the cup.

5. The drive of claim 4, said enclosure having a top carrying plate mounted on the lower face of the top end face and having a bottom bearing structure located at and directly above the cup and said bearing structure being suspended from the top base by said enclosure and elongated blade-like fan members mounted on the sides of the cup and extending parallel and upwardly along the sides of the tubular enclosure to form a fan structure.

6. An impeller pump combination comprising an upper impeller pump and a lower electric motor spaced a substantial distance below the pump, the pump and the motor having vertical shafts axially aligned with one another and a connecting shaft structure axially aligned with said vertical shafts and extending therebetween, an intermediate encircling frame enclosure extending between said pump and said motor and having upper and lower mounting structure-s, said pump having a housing mounted on the upper mounting structure and said motor having a housing mounted on the lower mounting structure, a tubular corrugated enclosure encircled and enclosing the connecting shaft structure and a rotating fan structure having blades positioned outside of and alongside of the corrugated enclosure connected to the lower end of the connecting shaft structure.

7. The combination of claim 6, said connecting shaft structure having upper and lower bearings and said connecting shaft structure at its lower end having a telescoping connection to the motor shaft and said frame enclosure including spaced apart vertical T-cross section bar members extending between the upper and lower mounting structures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

